Family Ties
by MoonWiccan6
Summary: A case hits close to home for Grissom. CG
1. Murder

Title: Family Ties

Author: Kristin

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with CSI. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

Rating: R for violence & strong language

Spoilers: Takes place after season 3. Nothing real specific, except Eddie's death & if you don't know he's dead by now you must be living under a rock ;-)

Summary: A case hits close to home for Grissom.

Author's Note: As far as I know, Grissom doesn't have a sister, but I'm giving him one because I feel like it, lol.

AN: 10/28/09 – Long time no see! I bet you all probably thought this story long abandoned, but it was just neglected for a really long time. I promised myself a long time ago, that even if takes my whole life to complete a story I will never abandon it completely. Luckily, it hasn't taken quite that long. The new chapter is currently with my beta & will hopefully be ready to post in a day or two. In the mean time, I've gone through & re-edited the first 11 chapters. Mostly I fixed some typos & grammar mistakes, though I did change a few things here & there, usually because I thought something sounded better or something along those lines, but nothing that would majorly change plot.

*****************************************

He hid in the bushes across the street, waiting for her to leave. He had overheard her talking the other day about an early meeting, so he knew that today was the perfect day. As the front door opened, he caught a glimpse of his angel. She was perfect in every way, and she would be his. He was going to make sure of that this morning. Once he was done, there would be nothing left standing in his way.

He watched her walk down the street and as soon as she turned the corner, he crept from his hiding place. Moving stealthily, he crossed the street and eased open the back door of the car parked in the driveway. Squishing down behind the driver's seat, he waited.

*********

"Philip! You're going to be late to work if you don't hurry up," Judith called up the stairs to her husband.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," Philip called back, hurrying down the stairs. Passing by his wife, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and grabbed the briefcase from her hand.

"Have a good day!" He heard his wife yell after him as he walked out the door. Glancing down at his watch, he cursed when he saw what time it was. Opening the car door, he threw his briefcase onto the passenger seat and slid behind the wheel. As he looked in the rearview mirror, he saw a head rise up behind him. Before he could even say anything, he felt a sharp pain across his throat. He reached up and was shocked when his hand came back covered in blood. 'Why?' he thought before he blacked out.

*************

Exiting the car as quietly as he had entered, he wiped the knife off on his sweatshirt. He wanted it to be clean when he got to the woman inside. He entered the house through the front door, no longer worried about stealth. "Did you forget something, dear?" he heard a woman's voice call from the kitchen. He didn't answer as he made his way towards her. Entering the room, he saw her standing at the sink, her back to him, doing the dishes. She turned around when she heard him enter the room. "Phil… who are you?" she asked. He enjoyed the tinge of fear he could hear in his voice. He didn't answer, just continued to get closer.

Sensing something was wrong, Judith began to back away. She didn't know who this boy was, but there was something very wrong with him. She could see it in his eyes. Looking down, she noticed a stain on the bottom of his shirt that she knew had to be blood. 'Oh, God, Philip!' she thought. She turned and tried to sprint from the room. However, the boy's reflexes were too quick. He grabbed her arm and threw her against the wall. Her head hit the wall with a resounding thud and she saw stars. As he raised the knife and prepared to slit her throat, her last thought was 'Thank God Lacey had to leave early this morning.'

*****************************

Brass reread the paperwork on the double homicide that he had just been handed. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing. Making his way to the break room, he was almost relieved to see that Grissom wasn't there. Instead, Catherine, Nick, and Sara sat around the table, relaxing, waiting for the hour to be up so they could go home. Nick was the first one to spot him standing in the doorway. "Oh, man," he said. "Shift's almost over. Don't tell me we have another case."

"Afraid so," Brass replied. "Looks like you guys will be pulling a double. Is Grissom around?"

"He and Warrick are still out on their case," Catherine answered.

Brass nodded and said, "Nick, Sara, go grab your stuff and meet me in the lot. We've got a double homicide." They stood up and left, both sensing that there was something else going on, but knowing they'd find out at some point.

"What's going on Brass?" Catherine asked, not liking the look on his face.

Looking at her sadly he said, "It's Phil and Judy."

Catherine gasped. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but this wasn't it. "Lacey?" she asked.

Brass shook his head. "As far as I know, she wasn't in the house."

Catherine nodded. "I'll go find Grissom." Before Brass could reply, she had left the room.

Hurrying to catch up with her, he said, "He can't work this case."

Not slowing down, Catherine turned to glare at him, "I know that and so will he."

"Yeah, well, that hasn't exactly stopped you guys before," Brass replied dryly.

As they exited the building, Catherine finally stopped and looked at him. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't work the case. But I'm taking lead on this one." Brass nodded. He already knew she would. "I'll meet you at the scene as soon as I pick him up." Not waiting to hear his reply, she hurried to her car and drove off.


	2. Telling Grissom

Reaching the scene of Grissom and Warrick's case, Catherine hesitated before getting out of the car. Sighing, she got out and looked around. She spied Warrick crouched by some bushes. "Hey, War," she called as she approached.

Warrick turned and gave her a surprised look. "Hey, Cath. What are you doing here?"

"Is Grissom inside?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Yeah. You okay?" he asked, noticing that her eyes were watering.

"I'm fine," she lied. Seeing Warrick's look of disbelief she continued, "Look, I'll explain later. Right now I've got to take Grissom with me to another case. You alright to finish this up by yourself?"

"Yeah," he replied, nodding. "We're almost finished here anyway. You sure you don't want to tell me what's going on?" Once again Catherine ignored the question. She turned and made her way into the house.

"Grissom? You in here?" she called.

"Catherine?" Grissom said entering the front room. He noticed that Catherine had her head down and was trying to avoid his gaze. "What's the matter? Did something happen to Lindsey?"

"No, Lindsey's fine," Catherine replied, still not looking him in the eye. She knew she had to tell him, but she didn't know how. "Look, Grissom, Warrick's going to finish up here. I need you to come with me."

"Catherine, what is this all about?" Grissom asked, starting to get a bit impatient. He was really starting to get worried.

"Gil, please, just come with me," Catherine said, practically begging. She didn't use Grissom's first name often. She usually saved it for important moments. Her use of it this time didn't help with his unease about the situation, but he agreed to go with her without further question.

Grissom said good-bye to Warrick and got into Catherine's car. They drove in silence until Grissom couldn't stand it any longer. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Catherine nodded, but didn't reply. Grissom sighed and went back to staring out the window. He knew he wouldn't get an answer out of her until she was good and ready.

Catherine glanced over at the man sitting next to her. A lot of people though he didn't have emotions because he was able to shut them off when working on a case. Catherine, however, knew better. Grissom cared a lot; he just wasn't always good about showing it. Only those closest to him got to see that side of him. Now, one of the people he was closest to was dead. Sighing, Catherine pulled into a parking space and stopped the car.

"Care to tell me why we are at a park when we're supposed to be working?" Grissom asked dryly, turning to look at her.

"Gil, I don't really know how to tell you this…" Catherine began.

Grissom saw that whatever she had to tell him was tearing her apart. He took her hand and said gently, "Just tell me, Cath."

Catherine nodded. "Brass got a call about a double homicide. It's um… oh God, Gil, it's Judy. It's Judy and Phil."

Grissom stared at her in disbelief. "No," he whispered. "It can't be." Grissom was a man that rarely cried, but he could feel the tears starting to form in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Gil," Catherine said, pulling him as close to her as possible in the car. They sat there for a long time, just holding each other.

Finally Grissom pulled back and wiped his eyes. "Who's working the case?"

"Nick and Sara are processing the scene," she replied. "I told Brass that I'd be heading the case as soon as I told you." Grissom opened his mouth, but Catherine beat him to the punch. "And no you can't work this case. Brass already put his foot down." When he looked like was going to object she continued, "Gil, you know you can't work the case, so please just let me handle it. I'll keep you informed of everything." Staring him down, Grissom finally nodded, knowing it was for the best.

"Has anyone told Lacey?" he asked quietly as Catherine started the car.

Catherine shook her head. "I thought you should be the one to tell her."

Grissom nodded. "Is she at school?"

"Yeah, we'll stop there after we swing by the crime scene. You going to be okay there?" she asked, glancing at him. He took a deep breath and nodded. The rest of the ride was spent in silence. They pulled up in front of the house and got out.

Brass was standing in front, waiting for them. "I'm sorry, Gil." Grissom nodded, but didn't reply.

"So, what happened?" Catherine asked.

Brass glanced at Grissom, but sighed after seeing Catherine's glare. "Neighbor was taking her morning walk when she noticed Philip sitting in his car. She went to say good morning when she noticed that his throat was slit. She ran home as fast as she could and called the cops. They showed up, went inside, and found Judith in the kitchen."

"Was her throat slit, too?" Grissom asked hoarsely. Brass didn't answer right away. "Jim!"

Brass sighed. "Yes. I'm sorry, Gil." Looking at his friend, Brass noticed that Grissom was starting to look a little green around the gills. This surprised him a little. In the entire time that he had known Grissom, never once had the man come close to being sick, and they had seen some nasty stuff. 'Of course, it's never been someone he's been so close to,' he thought.

"Tell Nick and Sara that Greg is waiting at the lab for them, when they've finished here," Catherine said. "Grissom and I are going to pick up Lacey from school."

"What do you want me to tell them?" Brass asked. They were smart kids and they were bound to figure out something was up.

"You might as well tell them," Grissom replied. "They'll figure it out sooner or later." Not waiting for a reply, he headed back to the car. He wasn't looking forward to telling Lacey that her parents were dead.

"He going to be okay?" Brass asked, watching Grissom walk away.

"He will be," Catherine replied before following him.

Brass watched the two of them drive off before turning around. He was surprised to see Nick and Sara standing there. "What?" he snapped.

The two CSIs exchanged looks before Nick replied, "We just wanted to let you know that we were finished here and were heading back to the lab."

"All right. Greg's waiting for you. This case is top priority."

"How come?" Sara asked.

"Because the dead woman is Grissom's sister," Brass replied as he headed to his car, leaving the two shocked CSI's in his wake.


	3. Telling Lacey

Catherine pulled up in front of the school and turned the car off. The two CSIs looked at the building, neither making a move to get out. After a couple minutes, Catherine decided to break the silence. "Are you ready?"

Grissom turned to look at her; his eyes shining with unshed tears. "No. How am I supposed to tell her that she's never going to see her parents again?"

Catherine took his hand. "It's going to be hard, but she's got you."

"And I've got you," Grissom said quietly, sending her a small smile.

"You got that right," she replied with a smile of her own.

Taking a deep breath, Grissom got out of the car and headed up the stairs of the school, with Catherine close behind. They made their way into the front office where an elderly woman sat behind a desk, reading a book.

Hearing the door open, the woman looked up. "May I help you?" she asked, gazing at the pair suspiciously. Parents didn't usually stop by in the middle of the day.

Catherine showed the woman her ID and said, "I'm Catherine Willows and this is Gil Grissom. We're with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. May we please speak with the Principal?"

The woman nodded and picked up the phone. "Principal Green? There are two people here from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. They want to speak with you." She paused, listening to the Principal's response and hung up. "He'll be right out." She had just finished speaking when a door to the right opened and a man walked out.

Principal Green was a tall man with a warm smile. Sticking his hand out, he greeted them, "I'm Ed Green. How may I help you?"

Catherine shook his hand, introducing herself and Grissom. "Could we go into your office?"

"Of course," he replied and ushered them in, gesturing the chairs in front of his desk. Once they were all settled, he said, "I hope none of my students are in trouble."

"No one's in any trouble, Mr. Green," Catherine replied. "I'm afraid though that one of your student's parents have been killed."

Principal Green sat back in his chair, shocked. "What happened?" he finally asked.

Glancing at Grissom, Catherine replied, "I'm sorry, but we're not able to discuss the case at this time. We're just here to inform the student."

The Principal nodded. "What's the student's name? I'll have Mrs. Pinsky call them down and then look up their emergency contact information."

"That's not necessary," Grissom replied, speaking for the first time. "I'm her uncle."

Principal Green nodded, once again surprised. "I hope you understand Mr. Grissom, that we'll still have to verify that." When Grissom nodded, he continued, "What's your niece's name?"

"Lacey McDonald."

The Principal picked up his phone and said, "Mrs. Pinsky, could you please call Lacey McDonald down to my office and then look up her emergency information." After receiving a confirmation, he hung up the phone. The three adults sat there in silence until the phone buzzed again letting them know that Lacey had arrived. Principal Green stood up. "I'll just check out her file and then send her in." After receiving nods from the two CSIs, he left the room.

The two of them looked up when the door opened again. Catherine didn't know what to expect; she hadn't seen Lacey in over five years. Not since Grissom had had a falling out with his brother-in-law. Philip and Grissom had never gotten along very well, but they tolerated each other because of Judy. Philip was an accountant and thought what Grissom did was too gruesome. Lacey, however, was fascinated by what her uncle did and loved to visit him. During one visit, Lacey had convinced Grissom to take her along to an autopsy. When she went home, she couldn't wait to tell her parents all about it. Philip had exploded, saying how he didn't want his daughter exposed to that kind of stuff. The two men had gotten into a huge argument, ending with no more weekend visits for Lacey. After that, Grissom saw her a couple times a year on holidays and birthdays, but that was it. Looking at the young woman standing in the doorway, Catherine was amazed at what a beauty she had become. Lacey had inherited the best qualities from each of her parents. She had her father's auburn hair and her mother's blue eyes. Grissom's blue eyes. Said eyes lit up when they saw who was in the room.

"Uncle Gil! Catherine! What are you guys doing here?" Lacey asked with a smile, shutting the door behind her.

"Why don't you sit down," Grissom replied quietly, patting the chair next to him.

Lacey looked first at him and then at Catherine. "What's going on?" she asked warily.

"Sit down," Grissom repeated.

"No," Lacey said, shaking her head. "Just tell me. Where are my mom and dad?"

"Lace, I'm so sorry," Grissom started, but Lacey interrupted.

"No!" she cried. "No!" She sank down on the floor in front of Grissom, burying her head in his lap as she started to sob.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he said, through tears of his own. The two of them sat like that for what felt like an hour, but in reality was only minutes. Grissom sat, softly stroking her hair as she cried. Finally she pulled back and Grissom gave her a hand up. She took a few deep breaths and sat down next to him.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

"They were… oh, Lacey, they were murdered," Grissom choked out.

"Why?" she cried. "Why would anyone want to murder them?"

"I don't know, honey," Catherine replied. "But we're going to find out."

Lacey nodded. "What's going to happen now?"

"Well, right now, I'm going to take you and your uncle back to the lab so he can pick up his car," Catherine stated, taking charge. "Then the two of you are going to go home and get some rest, while I see how the case is going. I'll stop by after I pick Lindsey up from school and the four of us can have dinner together." Grissom shot her a grateful look as the three of them exited the office. Catherine sent him a quick smile and squeezed his hand. She hated seeing the people she cared about in pain and she was going to do everything she could to ease as much of that pain as she could.


	4. Waiting

Nick and Sara walked into the lab and found both Greg and Warrick there. "You're still working on your case?" Nick asked in surprise.

Warrick shook his head. "I finished up about an hour ago, but I wanted to see what was going on. Where are Catherine and Grissom?"

Nick and Sara exchanged a look, before Nick replied, "They didn't tell you anything?"

"No, man. Catherine just showed up said she had to take Grissom to another scene. I could tell she was upset, but she said she'd explain later, so I've been waiting for her to get back."

"Well, they stopped by the scene, but didn't stay long," Sara replied. "I'm not sure where they went."

"So, why's this case so important? Do we have a dead celebrity or something?" Greg asked excitedly.

When the only answer was silence, Warrick said, "Come on, guys. You might as well tell us."

Finally, Nick spoke up, "The vics were Grissom's sister and her husband." Warrick and Greg sat in stunned silence.

"Well are you guys just going to stand there?" Greg snapped, causing everyone to stare at him in shock. "Give me what you collected so I can start processing it." Nick and Sara handed over their kits in silence, not knowing what to say to the usually easy-going lab technician. Warrick started to speak up, but Greg shooed the three CSIs out the door.

The trio made their way to the break room and collapsed into chairs. Warrick broke the silence, "Did anyone here know that Grissom had a sister?" The other two shook their heads.

"Brass knew," Sara said. Nick nodded his agreement.

"Catherine knew, too," replied Warrick.

"How come he never told us?" Sara asked.

"You know how private Grissom is," Nick said with a shrug.

"Yeah, but you'd think he's at least have mentioned her once or twice," she replied. The others nodded and the three lapsed into silence.

**************************

Catherine walked wearily through the lab. When they had gotten back, Grissom had wanted to come in. If Lacey hadn't been there, Catherine didn't think she would have been able to convince him to go home. Entering the break room, she saw three mouths immediately open, ready to start firing questions at her. Holding up her hand, she spoke quickly, "Look, I know you all have questions, but they're going to have to wait." She waited until they had all closed their mouths and nodded before she continued, "Nick, Sara, what have you got for me?"

Sara shrugged. "Greg kicked us out of the lab as soon as we handed over the evidence we collected."

Catherine nodded, turned, and headed for the lab. Exchanging glances, the younger CSIs quickly scrambled to follow her.

"What have you got for me, Greg?" Catherine asked as she entered the lab.

Turning to snap at the intruder, Greg quickly bit his tongue when he realized who it was. "I'm just waiting for a few more results," he said. "I'll be ready to explain what I've found out in a few minutes." With that said, he turned back to what he was working on. Catherine pulled up a stool to wait and the others followed suit.

****************************

Gil ushered Lacey into his town house. "You can take my bed, if you want to take a nap."

"Thanks. That sounds like a good idea. Where will you sleep?" she asked.

"I can take a nap on the couch," he replied, leading her down the hallway, to the bedroom.

"Are you sure?" she asked as he turned down the bed. "I don't mind taking the couch."

"Don't worry about it." He rummaged through his dresser and pulled a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Handing them to her, he said, "You can where these. I'll see if I can swing by your house after work in the morning and pick up some things for you." Lacey nodded and headed to the bathroom to change.

Sinking onto the couch, Gil rubbed a hand over his face. It was a long day and he was getting a migraine. Debating the merits of getting up to get his medication, he was interrupted by a scream from the bedroom. His heart racing a mile a minute, he leaped off the couch and was in the bedroom in seconds. He calmed down when he saw that Lacey was just having a nightmare. Hurrying to her side, he gently shook her awake. "Lacey, wake up. It's just a nightmare."

"Daddy?" she said sleepily, causing Gil's heart to ache for her.

"It's Uncle Gil," he said softly. Lacey's eyes focused on his and the day's events slowly made their way back into her mind. As her eyes filled with tears, Gil pulled her close, rubbing her back gently. When she had stopped crying, he pulled back and said, "You should try to get some more sleep."

"No," she said, shaking her head vigorously.

"All right. Well, why don't we watch some TV?" Lacey nodded and the pair went into the living room.

As they watched comedy reruns, Gil noticed Lacey starting to nod off. Grabbing a pillow and placing it in his lap, Gil encouraged her to lie down. As he gently stroked her hair, her breathing evened out and he knew that she was asleep.


	5. Dinner

Greg grabbed the last print out and turned to face the waiting CSIs, wishing he had better news. "Please tell me you've got something," Catherine said.

"Wish that I could, but I didn't have much to work with," he replied. "I ran the bloody prints that Sara pulled from the back door through AFIS and came up empty. Whoever the killer is, they don't have a record. There were three other sets of prints pulled from the scene near the bodies. Two, I was able to identify as belonging to the vics, but I ran the other set through AFIS. They didn't match up either."

"The third set of prints probably belong to their daughter, Lacey," Catherine said.

Catherine sat back knowing that this piece of information would bring on a whole new set of questions. She didn't have to wait long. "Grissom has a niece?" Nick asked. Catherine nodded. "That's where you went, isn't it?"

She nodded again. "We went to pick her up from school." She saw the others were going to start asking more questions. "That's all the questions I'm going to answer right now." Turning back to Greg she asked, "Did you find anything else?"

"Sorry, that's all there was," he replied. "The only blood at the scene belonged to the victims."

Catherine sighed. "All right. You guys go home and get some sleep. Nick, Sara, I need you guys to come in early for the autopsy." The others nodded and filed out behind Catherine. All of them disheartened, that there wasn't more they could do.

*****************************

Catherine sighed as she pulled up outside Lindsey's school. Her mood cheered a little, however, when she saw her daughter's smiling face. "Hi, mommy," she said cheerfully as she climbed into the car.

"Hey, baby, how was school today?" she asked. She drove home, listening to Lindsey chatter on happily about her day. Catherine was glad that her daughter seemed to be coping better with her fathers death. There had been no fights so far this year and she was once again enjoying school.

When the pair got home, Catherine led Lindsey into the living room and sat her down on the couch. "What's wrong, mommy?" Lindsey asked.

Catherine didn't know where to begin. "Do you remember Uncle Gil's niece, Lacey? She used to come over and play with you when you were real little." Catherine watched her daughter try to remember. She wasn't sure Lindsey would actually remember. She had been four the last time Lacey had been over.

"Does she have pretty red hair?" Lindsey asked.

Catherine nodded. "Yes, she does."

"I remember her," Lindsey said excitedly. "She used to bring her dolls over so I could play with them."

"That's right, honey."

Lindsey was about to say something else when she noticed how red her mother's eyes were. "What's wrong, mommy?" she asked again.

"Honey, Lacey's parents were killed today." Catherine watched as her daughter digested this piece of information.

"That means that Uncle Gil's sister died, right?" Lindsey asked.

"That's right."

Lindsey was silent for a few minutes, before she said determinedly, "We need to take care of them, like you took care of me after daddy died."

"That's right, baby," Catherine replied, tears forming in her eyes. She pulled her daughter close and hugged her tight.

************************

Catherine and Lindsey stood in front of Gil's door. "Remember what I told you," Catherine started.

"I know, mom," Lindsey interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Don't ask Lacey about her parents. I'm not stupid."

"I'm sorry, baby," Catherine replied, giving her daughter a smile, before knocking on the door.

**************

Grissom woke with a start, wondering why he was so uncomfortable. He realized that he had fallen asleep on the couch with Lacey in his lap. Hearing a knock at the door, he glanced at the clock and realized it must be Catherine. "Come in," he called as loudly as he dared, not wanting to startle Lacey.

Catherine opened the door and stopped at the sight in front of her. She wished she had her camera with her. The pair on the couch was just too adorable. Lindsey, not able to see from behind her mother, called out, "Uncle Gil!"

Lacey bolted upright at the exclamation. Grissom quickly laid a hand on her arm and said quietly, "It's just Cath and Lindsey." Taking a few calming breaths, she nodded, letting her uncle know she was okay.

"Hi, Aunt Cath," Lacey said, falling back on her onetime nickname for the older woman. "Hey, Lindsey, remember me?"

The young girl nodded. "You used to play dolls with me."

"That's right. Now if you don't mind, I think I'm just going to hop in the shower real quick," Lacey said and left the room.

"Linds, why don't you watch TV while Uncle Gil and I get dinner ready?" Catherine said. Lindsey nodded and settled herself on the couch as the adults made their way to the kitchen.

"How's she holding up?" Catherine asked, as soon as Lindsey was out of earshot.

"About as well as can be expected," Gil replied as he rummaged through the fridge for salad ingredients. "She had a nightmare and ended up on the couch with me. Do you have any leads on the case?"

"Not yet," Catherine replied, "but we should know more after the autopsy." Grissom nodded and the pair continued their dinner preparations in silence.

******************

Catherine looked around the table and was surprised by how much they looked like an ordinary family. 'Mom, dad, and two kids,' she thought with smile. "So, Lacey, how do you like high school?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"It's okay," Lacey replied. "I really enjoy my classes."

"What are your favorite classes?" Lindsey asked. "Mine are art and science."

"Science is my favorite, too," Lacey replied, earning a grin from the younger girl. "But math is a close second."

"What kind of science classes have you taken?" Catherine asked.

"Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. All advanced placement," Lacey added, shyly.

"That's great," Catherine said giving her a smile. "Do you know what you want to study in college?"

"Well, I've been thinking about a majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Criminal Justice," she replied.

"Uh oh," Catherine said, shooting Grissom a smirk. "Looks like you've got a future CSI on your hands."

Her comment caused Lacey to blush and Grissom to get an excited look on his face. "Well, I bet she'd make a great CSI," he stated, causing Lacey's cheeks to get even redder.

"Yeah, well, dad wants me to…" Lacey trailed off as she realized what she said. Clearing her throat, she tried to start again, "I mean he *wanted*…" She pushed her chair back from the table. "I'm sorry, I can't…" was all she managed to say before she fled from the room.

Grissom was about to get up and follow her when Catherine put her hand on his. "I think she needs a little time to herself." Grissom shot an uncertain glance at the doorway, but decided Catherine probably knew what she was talking about.

Lindsey stood up, trying to sneak away quietly when she heard her mother say, "Where are you going, Lindsey?"

"To the bathroom," Lindsey replied. Catherine nodded and turned back to her conversation with Gil. Breathing a sigh of relief, Lindsey made her way down the hallway. Listening at the closed door, she heard soft crying coming from inside. Pushing open the door, she found Lacey crying on the bed. Climbing up on the bed, Lindsey curled herself behind the older girl's form. "It'll be okay," she whispered in Lacey's ear.

She felt Lacey take her hand and give it a squeeze. "Thanks," the older girl whispered back.

********************

"I hope Lindsey's not sick," Catherine said when her daughter still hadn't returned to the table.

"Why don't you go check on her," Grissom suggested. "I'll clear the table."

Catherine nodded and made her way to the bathroom. The door was open and Lindsey was nowhere to be found. She looked in Grissom's office, but the only living things in there were his bugs. The only place left to check was his bedroom. Cracking open the door, she found the two girls sitting on the bed. Lacey was braiding Lindsey's hair and the two seemed to be having a serious discussion. "There you are," she said, announcing her present.

Lindsey looked up, guilt written across her face. "Hi, mommy."

"I thought you were going to the bathroom," Catherine said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I was, but…I…um," Lindsey trailed off.

"It's okay, Aunt Cath," Lacey jumped in. "Lindsey was just cheering me up."

A soft smile formed on Catherine's face. "I hate to break this up, but we've got to go Linds."

Lindsey sighed. "All right. Can Lacey come over and play sometime?"

"It's up to Lacey, honey," her mother replied.

"I'd love to," Lacey said, putting the finishing touches on the younger girl's hair.

"Yay!" Lindsey cheered. She gave the older girl a hug and followed her mother out of the bedroom.

************************

When Lacey exited the bedroom a few minutes later she saw her uncle getting ready for work. "Uncle Gil," she said softly.

Turning at the sound of her voice, Grissom asked, "Lacey, are you okay to stay alone while I'm work?"

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "I'm almost seventeen, Uncle Gil."

Grissom nodded. "Sorry, I'm new to this whole thing."

"I know. Actually, that's what I came out here for."

"What's wrong?" Grissom asked.

There was a silence and then Lacey blurted out, "Can I come to work with you tonight? Normally, I wouldn't ask and I'm really okay to stay here by myself, I just really don't want to be by myself tonight. I mean, I understand if you can't, but I figured I might as well ask."

When she paused to take a breath, Grissom quickly broke in, "Lacey, it's okay. You can come with me tonight if you'd like. You'll have to stay in my office or the break room though."

Lacey nodded happily. "That's fine. I just don't want to be alone right now."

Giving her a hug, Grissom replied, "I understand. We'd better get going though or I'm going to be late." Lacey nodded and the pair headed out the door.


	6. Finding Answers

Lacey looked around in wonder as the pair walked through the corridors of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. It had been years since she'd been here and she'd missed it.

"Hey, Grissom," Brass greeted his friend. "Lacey? You've really grown up."

"Hi, Uncle Jim," Lacey replied.

"Grissom, I need to talk to you for a minute."

Grissom nodded and turned to Lacey. "Do you remember how to get to my office?"

Lacey nodded and continued down the hallway. She wasn't really sure where her uncle's office was, but she figured she'd find it eventually. In the meantime, she could explore. She was so entranced with her surroundings, that she never saw the person coming towards her, his head buried in a folder, until the two of them collided. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed as the both bent to pick up the papers that had been knocked to the ground.

Greg looked up and found himself staring into a pair of beautiful, blue eyes. Grinning, he asked, "Are you all right? I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't even notice a girl as pretty as you walking down the hall."

Lacey blushed at his comment. "Thank you. I'm fine." The pair finally got all the papers together and stood.

"I'm Greg," he said extending his hand.

"Lacey," she replied, shaking his outstretched hand.

"You look a little lost. Is there something or someone I can help you find?" Greg asked, trying to find a way to prolong the conversation with the girl in front of him.

"Actually, I was looking for Gil Grissom's office," Lacey replied. "Do you know where it is?"

"I sure do," Greg replied. "Just follow me." The two started off down a different hallway and Greg asked, "So, can I ask how you know Grissom?"

"He's my uncle," she replied, causing Greg to freeze.

"Grissom's your uncle? You're Grissom's niece? You're related to Grissom?" Greg stammered, mentally kicking himself for flirting with Grissom's niece. Grissom's *underage* niece. Grissom was going to kill him.

"Um… yeah," Lacey said, wondering what was wrong with him. "Are you okay?"

"Sure. I'm fine. Never better," he replied.

He was saved from further comment as Catherine came around the corridor. "Lacey! What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.

"I didn't really want to be home alone tonight, so Uncle Gil said I could come along and hang out in his office," the younger girl answered.

Catherine nodded and turned to the flustered lab technician. "Have you seen Nick and Sara?"

Greg bobbed his head up and down. "They're waiting for you in the break room with Warrick. I've got to go… do something. Bye." He took off down the hallway, leaving the two women looking after him.

"Is he always that strange?" Lacey asked the older woman.

"Afraid so," Catherine replied with a grin. "Where's your uncle?"

"Uncle Jim had to talk to him."

Catherine nodded. "Well, let's go to the break room and I'll introduce you to everyone."

**************************

After finishing up with Brass, Grissom swung by his office looking for Lacey, but found it empty. He headed to the break room and found her there, surrounded by the four other CSI's. "I see everyone's met," he said from the doorway.

Catherine stood and walked over to Grissom. "We were going to discuss last nights case," she said softly. "Maybe you should have Lacey wait in your office."

Grissom nodded. "Lacey, we've got some cases to discuss right now, so why don't you wait for me in my office."

Lacey gave her uncle a shrewd look before replying, "You mean you're going to discuss my parents case." The younger three CSIs all pretended to be busy doing something else, but they had their ears tuned on the conversation at hand.

"Yes," Grissom said. "Now please go wait in my office."

"No. I want to hear this," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Glancing at the other people in the room, Grissom replied, "Let's talk about this outside."

Lacey marched out the door, with Grissom behind her. Even with the door shut, the others could hear the heated conversation on the other side.

"You don't need to hear what's going to be said in there."

"They were my parents! I have a right to know what happened."

"You're too young and too close to the situation."

"I'm almost seventeen, Uncle Gil. And you're one to talk! She was your sister."

"Just do as I say and wait in my office!" Grissom shouted, pointing an arm down the hall.

"Fine!" Lacey shouted back, stalking down the hall.

When Grissom reentered the break room, the others all tried to look busy, like they hadn't just been listening in on the conversation. "She's certainly as stubborn as you are," Catherine said conversationally, earning herself a glare from her supervisor.

"Tell me what you've got."

**************************

Lacey stormed down the hallway. 'This is so unfair! They were my parents and I want to know what happened to them.' Heading in the opposite direction of Grissom's office, Lacey thought, 'If he won't tell me, then I'll just find out myself.' Spotting someone sitting at a lab table in the next room, she entered and said, "Hi."

Looking up from his work, Hodges gave the girl that walked into his lab a disdainful look. "Who are you?"

Hoping that being the boss's niece would give her some pull, she answered, "My name's Lacey. I'm Gil Grissom's niece."

Hodges immediately straightened and gave her a slimy smile. "You're Grissom's niece? It's a pleasure to meet you. What can I do for you?"

'Yes!' Lacey thought. "Well, I'm thinking about becoming a CSI so my uncle brought me in to show me what it was like to work here. He started telling me about a case that came in last night, but then he had to get to work. I was wondering if you'd be able to fill me in," Lacey said, giving him her sweetest smile.

"I assume you're talking about the double homicide." At Lacey's nod, Hodges motioned her to follow as he made his way to a table across the room. "It looks like someone was waiting in the mans car when he was leaving for work. The person was hidden behind the drivers seat and when the man entered the vehicle, the attacker popped up and slit his throat. Left a big mess on the windshield," He said, gesturing to one of the crime scene photos, not noticing that the color had left Lacey's face. "The killer then entered the house and attacked the woman in the kitchen. It looked like she had been doing dishes, but turned and tried to run when she heard her attacker enter. The killer threw her against the wall. She probably hit her head, dazing her and the killer proceeded to slit her throat as well."

Lacey was clutching the table, trying not to pass out as she looked at the horrible deaths her parents had suffered, when Greg walked in. "Hodges, I have…" he trailed off as he took in the scene before him. "What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted.

"What?" Hodges said defensively. "She wanted to know about the case last night."

"Those are her parents!" Greg replied, voice still raised. Hodges paled and tried to come up with a reply, but Greg turned to Lacey. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said, gently, lowering his voice. Lacey nodded and walked unsteadily towards the door. Greg quickly put his arm around her, to steady her, and led her down the hall to Grissom's office. He opened the door and ushered her in, leading her over to the sofa in the corner.

"I think I'm going to pass out," Lacey whispered, speaking for the first time.

Greg pressed her head down between her legs and rubbed her back. "It'll be okay. Just take deep breaths."

The two of them were still sitting like that when Grissom entered his office. "What the hell is going on here?" he said loudly.


	7. A Short Interlude

Hearing Grissom's booming voice, Greg jumped off the couch like it was on fire. "Grissom! Hi. Lacey wasn't feeling well so I was just…" he trailed off as Grissom redirected his attention towards his niece.

"Lacey, are you all right?" Grissom asked concerned. Lacey had sat up by this time and Greg was glad to see that most of the color had returned to her face.

"I'm fine, Uncle Gil," she said softly.

"What happened?" Grissom demanded.

Turning to Greg, she asked, "How likely is he to say something?"

Catching her drift, Greg replied, "Very," before exiting the room.

Sighing, Lacey turned back to her uncle. "Since you wouldn't let me stay, I decided I'd find someone else to tell me about the case."

"Who told you about the case?" Gil asked angrily.

"Some guy named Hodges, but he didn't know they were my parents," Lacey explained, not wanting to get anyone in trouble. "I'm really sorry Uncle Gil."

Grissom sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I understand that you want to know what's going on, but this was the reason I didn't want you sitting in that meeting. You need to trust that I'll tell you what's important, okay?" Lacey nodded, stood and gave her uncle a hug. "I've got a crime scene to go to. Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

"I won't. I promise."

*************************************

"You okay?" Catherine asked, noticing the furrow of Grissom's brow.

"Lacey convinced Hodges to tell her about the case," Grissom replied. Noticing the smirk on Catherine's face, he snapped, "You think it's funny that she found out about her parents like that?"

Sighing, Catherine answered, "No. I don't like that she found out like that. You have to admit, though, it's exactly like something you would have done."

**********************************

Lacey reread the same page of her book for the fifth time, before throwing it down on her uncle's desk. She couldn't concentrate. Not when she still had the images from the pictures running through her head. Wandering through the halls, she spotted Greg in the lab. "Hey," she said softly. "Thanks for earlier."

"No problem," Greg said, giving her a grin. "What are you up to?"

"Absolutely nothing," she replied. "I'm so bored."

"Well, I'm working on something for Sara and Nick, but why don't head over the break room. They can keep you company until your uncle gets back."

"Okay. Thanks," she replied, leaving Greg to his job. She found Sara and Nick sitting at the table, relaxing.

As she entered, Nick gave her a grin and said, "Just the person we wanted to see."

"Me?" Lacey asked in surprise.

"Yeah," he replied, grin still in place. "We were hoping you could give us the dirt on Grissom."

Lacey laughed. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"Well, we were wondering why he'd never mentioned you before," Sara said leaning forward.

"That's an easy one," Lacey replied. "My dad and uncle never really got along. My dad didn't like Uncle Gil's work and he didn't like how interested in it I was. One day when I was like ten or eleven I convinced Uncle Gil to take me with him to an autopsy. I then made the mistake of mentioning it to my dad. He flipped out. I only visited my uncle on holidays with my mother after that."

************************************

Grissom and Catherine entered the break room to find the three younger CSIs talking softly amongst each other and Lacey asleep on the couch. "How'd everything go tonight?" Grissom asked, referring to both their cases and the girl on the couch.

"Cases are solved," Nick drawled with a grin. "And Lacey's been telling us your story. At least until she fell asleep."

Grissom was about to ask what exactly Lacey had told them when Warrick spoke up, "She's a good kid. If there's anything we can do to help, just let us know." The other two nodded their heads in agreement.

Grissom thought about this for a minute before answering, "The service is Friday at one, if you'd like to come."

Catherine cut in, "Then people are coming back to my house for supper."

"We'll be there," Sara said, answering for all of them.

"Let Greg know, too, please," Lacey said sleepily, having woken up in the middle of their conversation. Nick said he would and everyone got ready to leave.


	8. The Service

Grissom pulled up in front of Lacey's house, hoping she wouldn't wake up. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side. As soon as he stopped the car, Lacey sat up rubbing her eyes. "Are we home?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"Not yet," Grissom replied. "Just wait here. I'll be back in a few moments." He was hoping she would be too asleep to realize what was going on, but he should have known better.

Looking out her window, Lacey saw where they were. She took a deep breath and said, "I'm coming in with you."

"No, you're not," Grissom replied firmly. "You don't need to go in there. I can get anything you need."

Lacey looked like she would agree, but then raised her chin, saying, "Yeah? Well, then, can you get my black lace bra, bikini underwear, and some tampons?" Her question had the desired effect as her uncle's face started to turn red and he fished for something to say.

Sighing in defeat, Grissom replied, "Fine. But we go straight up the stairs to your room and nowhere else."

As Lacey started to nod her agreement, someone knocked on Grissom's window causing the two of them to jump. They both let out a sigh of relief when they saw Catherine looking in at them. Grissom rolled down his window. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"When you left the lab, I noticed you were going in the wrong direction," she replied. "I figured this was where you were headed."

"We're just going to run in real quick and get some of Lacey's things," Grissom told her.

Catherine shook her head. "Nope. Lacey's going to tell me what she wants and I'll go get it." Grissom smiled his thanks as Catherine made her way to the other side of the car to talk to Lacey. Twenty minutes later, Lacey had a bag full of stuff in the backseat of the car and they were headed home.

********************

Catherine knocked on Gil's door at noon on Friday. She was going to drive them over to the church. She was glad that Lindsey had school today. Lindsey had told her mom that she wanted to be there, but Catherine thought another funeral less than a year after Eddie's would have been too overwhelming for her daughter. When it didn't look like Gil was going to answer the door anytime soon, Catherine tried the knob and found it unlocked. Letting herself in she called, "Gil? Lacey?"

Grissom came down the hallway, a look of surprise on his face. He glanced at his watch and swore. "Problem?" Catherine asked.

Grissom sighed, running a hand over his face. "Lacey locked herself in the bathroom and won't come out."

Catherine stepped forward and gave him a hug. "Let me see what I can do," she said and headed for the bathroom. Knocking softly on the door she called, "Lacey, honey, are you all right?" When there was no reply, Catherine sighed and got down on her knees. Pulling a bobby pin out of her carefully arranged hair, she expertly picked the lock.

Lacey looked up in shock as the door swung open. Her eyes and face were red from crying and her hair stuck out in several directions. Catherine went over to her and pulled her close. Catherine stroked her hair as the girl clung to her and cried. Tears came to Catherine's own eyes as she remembered doing the same thing with Lindsey. When Lacey had calmed down, Catherine pulled back and asked, "Was there a reason you wouldn't let your uncle or me in here?"

Lacey hung her head, embarrassed. "I can't get my hair right and I just wanted it to look nice for today. Now it just looks horrible and I can't go like this."

Catherine cut her off when it looked like she would start to cry again. "Don't worry. It can be fixed." She sat Lacey down and picked a brush up from the counter.

*********************

Half an hour later, the two women found Gil pacing in the living room. He looked up, relieved to see that Catherine had gotten Lacey out of the bathroom. "Are you all right?" he asked gently.

Lacey nodded. "Sorry, Uncle Gil." They hugged briefly before heading out to the car.

**********************

The service was a blur to Lacey. She sat between Catherine and her uncle, each one holding a hand while she tried to hold herself together.

Now that the service was over, people were milling around, talking quietly amongst each other. Lacey spotted a number of her dad's business associates that she knew only by sight. A lot of people knew her mother through her volunteer work. They had all come up to Lacey and offered their condolences. Uncle Gil stood by her the whole time, with Catherine by his side. Brass had gone to pick Lindsey up from school while the others from the lab headed to Catherine's house to get the food ready.

Lacey grimaced when she heard a familiar voice say, "Lacey, I'm so sorry for your loss."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to sound pleasant. "I thought you were off at UCLA."

The tall boy standing in front of her shrugged. "It wasn't for me. Good thing, or else you wouldn't have me here to comfort you." He moved closer to give her a hug, but she quickly stepped back.

Grissom had been standing to Lacey's side as everyone came up to speak with her. He hadn't paid too close attention to who they were or what they were saying until he saw Lacey stiffen out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw a lanky young man leering at his niece. As Lacey stepped back, Grissom stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "I don't think we've met," he said coldly. "I'm Gil Grissom, Lacey's uncle. And you are?"

The young man ignored Grissom's cold tone and replied with a smirk, "My name's Robert Austin. My family lives next-door to Lacey's."

"It was nice to meet you," Grissom said, "but we really need to get going."

Robert nodded, turning his gaze back on Lacey. "You know the number. Don't hesitate to call if you need me." With one last appraising glance, he walked away and joined a couple, Grissom assumed were his parents. Grissom turned to ask Lacey about Robert, but found the space she had just occupied empty.

"She went to the ladies room," Catherine explained. "That guy was a creep."

"Yeah," Grissom said, practically growling, causing Catherine to smile.

"What?" he asked.

"You're just too cute sometimes," Catherine replied, grinning as she noticed a flush start to appear on his face.

Grissom didn't know how to reply to that and was almost relieved when Lacey reappeared asking if they could leave. Grissom held out an arm to each of them and escorted two of his three favorite ladies out of the building.

*******************

When the three arrived back at the house, they found a gorgeous array of food set out on the table. Lindsey immediately ran over to them, giving them each a hug in turn. She then grabbed Lacey's hand and dragged her across the room.

Catherine smiled as she watched the two of them go. "Did I tell you what Lindsey said the other day?"

"No. What did she say?" Grissom asked, turning to face her.

"Well, she's always wanted a little sister, but she told me the other day that 'Lacey is way cooler than a baby. It's like getting a big sister.'"

Grissom smiled at that. In a way Lindsey was right. The four of them did make up their own little family.


	9. Mourning & Searching

Catherine stood in the kitchen chopping vegetables and chatting with Sara, who had volunteered to help. Grissom had wandered off a little while ago, she assumed in search of Lacey. From where she stood, Catherine could only see into a small section of the living room where Nick, Warrick, and Brass stood talking. 'Probably discussing last nights game,' she thought.

Noticing that Catherine's attention had wandered, Sara said, "Why don't you let me finish up in here?"

Smiling gratefully, Catherine set down the knife she was using and moved into the living room. She spotted Greg, Lacey, and Lindsey sitting on the couch, but didn't see Grissom anywhere. She smiled as Greg managed to coax a full-fledged laugh from Lacey, and moved towards the entryway. Feeling a breeze ruffle her skirt, she turned and saw that the front door was ajar.

Walking outside, Catherine found Grissom sitting on the porch steps, staring blankly at the house across the street. She sat down next to him, breaking his reverie. He didn't turn towards her or give any acknowledgement of her presence, but she knew that he knew she was there. The two friends sat in silence for a while, Catherine lending her support just by being there. Eventually she broke the silence, saying, "Lacey losing her parents is such a huge loss, that people tend to forget that you lost your sister as well."

Grissom didn't reply, but Catherine saw a lone tear slide down his cheek. Reaching over, she took one of his hands in hers. She felt him squeeze slightly, his way of showing her that he was glad to have her there.

"She was my baby sister," he said after a while, his voice thick with unshed tears. "I should have been able to protect her."

"I know," Catherine replied. "But there was nothing you could have done."

Grissom nodded, but let go of her hand and stood up. He began pacing the porch in agitation. "I couldn't save her and now I can't even find whoever did this to her."

Catherine stood up as well before replying, "We'll find them."

"How?" Grissom snapped, stopping his pacing and turning to glare at her. "It's been over a week and we're not even close to catching anyone!" Grissom pounded his hand on the porch railing. "We have all of this evidence, but no suspects. How could there not be a single person who saw *something*?"

Catherine's heart ached for the man in front of her. His blue eyes pleaded with her to give him answers that she didn't have. Catherine did the only thing she could and pulled him into her embrace, holding him tightly as he finally started to grieve.

******************

He had followed her here after the service. Luckily for him, there were bushes underneath the windows where he could hide. It was a nice day so the windows were open, allowing him to hear parts of the conversations going on inside. He wanted to see her so he started to rise, but before he had fully stood the front door opened. He quickly crouched back down, berating himself for trying something so risky. He saw her uncle come out and sit on the front stoop.

Sitting in the bushes, he barely dared to breath. He was wary of her uncle, since she talked about him all the time and how smart he was. He was distracted when he heard her laugh. It was a wonderful sound and he knew that he had done the right thing. She was glad that her parents were out of the way. She wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her.

He was so caught up in his fantasizing, he hadn't realized that her uncle had gone back inside. Deciding he had risked enough for today, he silently left the bushes and made his way home.

*************************

Later that evening after everyone else had left and Lindsey had gone to bed, Lacey, Catherine, and Gil sat in the living room talking.

"So who was that guy at the funeral today?" Catherine asked, curiously.

Lacey made a face before replying, "That was Robert. His family lives next door to us."

"Why don't you like him?"

"He's a creep. He's always making rude comments and one time mom caught him trying to peep in my window."

"What?" Gil practically shouted.

"Don't worry," Lacey replied. "Mom told Mrs. Austin and Robert was grounded for a month and he never tried it again."

They moved onto other topics and soon Lacey started to yawn. Gil decided it was time for them to go home and they said good night to Catherine.

********************

The next night at work, Grissom walked into Brass' office. "Could you do some digging on a Robert Austin for me?" he asked.

"Sure," Brass replied. "What's this about?"

"Not sure yet," Grissom replied. "Just a hunch I have."

Brass nodded. "Give me a couple of hours and I should have something for you."

************************

"I've got something," Grissom said entering the break room, waving the papers he held in his hand.

"What?" Catherine asked, knowing immediately which case he was talking about.

"Robert Austin, has a record," he replied.

"Really?" Catherine asked, grabbing the papers from him and skimming through them. "Well, it appears young Mr. Austin has been busy. A number of peeping tom complaints and then last month he was brought up on rape charges, but then they were dropped. It certainly says he's a creep, but is he a murderer?"

"He got kicked out of school after the rape charges were brought up so he was home when the attack happened," Grissom began ticking off reasons. "He had reason to be mad at Judy for getting him in trouble. He wanted to get at Lacey and thought getting her parents out of the way would help."

Catherine took this all in before replying, "It's a theory."

"You don't think it's him?" Gil asked, his expression becoming downcast.

"It's definitely an avenue for us to check out, but I just think that there's something off with it."

Gil sighed. "You're probably right. I just…"

"I know," Catherine said. "And who knows, maybe it was him. I'll see if Brass can get him to come in voluntarily for questioning. Now, why don't you get back to your own case? I'll fill you in on what happens."


	10. Interrogation

Brass entered the break room in search of Catherine and silently cursed when he found Grissom there as well. "Catherine," he said, giving her a nod, hoping she would understand what he meant.

Catherine looked quizzically at the homicide detective before realizing what he wasn't saying. "I'll see you later," she said to Grissom as she stood to leave.

Looking between the two, neither of them meeting his gaze, Grissom quickly figured out what was happening. He stood up saying, "He's here isn't he?"

"Gil," Jim said, a warning in his tone.

"Jim, I'll take care of it," Catherine said. "I'll meet you down there." Brass nodded and headed out.

Grissom started to speak, but Catherine put her hand over his mouth, effectively silencing him. "You know you can't be in there so don't bother arguing with me about it. If you promise to behave, I'll let you watch through the mirror."

Seeing that she was done speaking, Grissom removed her hand from his mouth and said, "You'll *let* me? Last time I checked, *I* was night-shift supervisor. Not you."

Catherine gave him her best "mother glare" and eventually he surrendered. "Fine. I'll behave. I promise." Catherine nodded, not entirely happy about the situation, but knowing there was nothing she could do.

*******************

Catherine met Brass outside of the interrogation room. She could tell that he wasn't happy about Grissom watching either, but thankfully he didn't say anything about it. "He agreed to come in willingly?" she questioned in surprise.

"Well, not initially," Brass replied with a smirk, "but after his father got through talking with him, he was much more cooperative about it."

Catherine laughed at that and they entered the room. They found Robert slouched in his chair, looking bored. Catherine could tell he was nervous, though, from the way his eyes kept darting around the room. "Hello, Robert. How are you tonight?" she asked pleasantly.

"Why am I here?" he asked.

"We just have a couple of questions for you," Catherine replied, sitting down across from him and putting his file on the table between them. Brass stood in the corner, keeping an eye on things, but letting Catherine lead.

She opened the folder and flipped through the pages, pretending that she was reading it for the first time. "You've been a busy boy," she commented after a few minutes.

Robert licked his lips nervously. "What do you mean?"

"I see you've had a number of peeping tom complaints made against you."

Robert sat up a bit and shrugged. "You know what they say, 'Boys will be boys'. If you'll notice, none of them ever pressed charges."

"Lacey MacDonald's father almost did. He agreed not to, however, when your parents agreed to ground you for a month."

"Stupid fucker," Robert said angrily. "Almost got me sent off to military school over nothing."

"I wouldn't exactly call spying in someone's window without there knowledge, nothing."

"Who says she didn't know?" Robert asked with a leer.

Catherine barely managed to refrain herself from glancing back at the mirror after that comment. "Are you saying that Lacey *knew* you were watching?"

"Oh, yeah," Robert replied, licking his lips for an entirely different reason this time. "She knew. She loved putting on little shows for me."

Out of the corner of her eye, Catherine caught Jim shifting closer to the door. 'Guess he doesn't think Grissom's going to stay put after that one.'

"Let's move on to something more recent," Catherine said, wishing she could smack the smug grin off his face. "I guess when you went away to college you decided that looking just wasn't enough. This time you actually raped the girl."

"Those charges were bullshit. That's why they were dropped. She totally wanted it. She was just trying to get back at me after I dumped her for someone better."

"You got kicked out of school for it."

Robert shrugged, slouching back down. "Her father was a professor."

"You don't seem to have much luck with fathers," Catherine commented.

"They all want to believe that their girls are perfect angels when they're really horny little sluts."

Catherine had no reply for that one. 'At least not one that won't get me in trouble,' she thought to herself. Changing the subject, she asked, "So, Robert, where were you last Thursday morning?"

"Sleeping," he replied without hesitation.

"You seem to be pretty certain about that."

"Lady, I haven't gotten up before noon since I've been home. It was an easy answer."

"Can anyone vouch for that?" she asked.

"No, my parents were at work. Look, are we done with these bullshit questions? I've got better things to do."

Catherine gave Brass a nod and he said, "Yeah, we're done. For now. I hope you don't have any plans to leave town in the near future."

"Whatever. I'm out of here," Robert said and walked out. Brass and Catherine followed closely behind in case Grissom decided to confront him in the hallway. Luckily, Robert was already speedily walking away before Grissom came out of the adjoining room.

"I'm going to kill that kid," he practically growled.

"He's definitely a little prick," Brass agreed, before walking off. He knew Catherine could deal with Grissom much better than he could.

"He definitely deserves a good beating," Catherine said, "but he's not worth it." Seeing that Grissom was still glaring in the direction that Robert had walked, she took his arm and began guiding him in the opposite direction. "I have an idea. How about after shift I go pick up Lindsey and meet you back at your place? Then the four of us can have breakfast before the girls have to be at school."

That seemed to get through to him a little and he replied, "That sounds good. Look, I should go see if Greg has my test results back."

Catherine watched him walk away, a worried look on her face. Sighing, she turned and went back to work on her own case.


	11. Fights

Brass entered the break room in search of Catherine and silently cursed when he found Grissom there as well. "Catherine," he said, giving her a nod, hoping she would understand what he meant.

Catherine looked quizzically at the homicide detective before realizing what he wasn't saying. "I'll see you later," she said to Grissom as she stood to leave.

Looking between the two, neither of them meeting his gaze, Grissom quickly figured out what was happening. He stood up saying, "He's here isn't he?"

"Gil," Jim said, a warning in his tone.

"Jim, I'll take care of it," Catherine said. "I'll meet you down there." Brass nodded and headed out.

Grissom started to speak, but Catherine put her hand over his mouth, effectively silencing him. "You know you can't be in there so don't bother arguing with me about it. If you promise to behave, I'll let you watch through the mirror."

Seeing that she was done speaking, Grissom removed her hand from his mouth and said, "You'll *let* me? Last time I checked, *I* was night-shift supervisor. Not you."

Catherine gave him her best "mother glare" and eventually he surrendered. "Fine. I'll behave. I promise." Catherine nodded, not entirely happy about the situation, but knowing there was nothing she could do.

*******************

Catherine met Brass outside of the interrogation room. She could tell that he wasn't happy about Grissom watching either, but thankfully he didn't say anything about it. "He agreed to come in willingly?" she questioned in surprise.

"Well, not initially," Brass replied with a smirk, "but after his father got through talking with him, he was much more cooperative about it."

Catherine laughed at that and they entered the room. They found Robert slouched in his chair, looking bored. Catherine could tell he was nervous, though, from the way his eyes kept darting around the room. "Hello, Robert. How are you tonight?" she asked pleasantly.

"Why am I here?" he asked.

Lacey was walking out of school when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She spun around, the scream dying on her lips as she saw who was behind her. "Tommy!" she scolded. "You scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry," the tall, wiry boy said. He shuffled his feet a bit before saying. "I was sorry to hear about your parents."

"Thanks," Lacey replied. "Was there something you wanted?"

Tommy paused, as though he wasn't sure about what he was going to say. "I was just wondering… you know… because it's Wednesday and all, if you'd be able to tutor me. I mean, I totally understand if you don't want to, but I just thought I'd ask. Especially since I've got this big science test coming up."

Lacey sighed. She didn't really feel like tutoring the younger boy today. Seeing the puppy dog eyes that he was shooting her, though, she found that she couldn't bring herself to say no. "Sure, Tommy. Do you mind coming over to my uncle's house? He's expecting me home."

Tommy nodded giving her a huge grin and the two of them made their way to where the buses were parked.

********************

Lacey and Tommy were immersed in ionic bonds when a loud, incessant pounding began at the door. Lacey hurried to open the door before it woke up her uncle. "Robert? What are you doing here?" she demanded quietly.

"Do you know what that fucking uncle of yours did?" Robert asked, just shy of shouting.

"No, I don't and keep your voice down. He's sleeping," Lacey replied angrily.

"I don't fucking care," Robert said, but Lacey noticed that he did lower his voice a bit. "That son of a bitch had his cop friends drag me in for questioning last night."

"You were brought in for questioning?" Lacey said in surprise, her mind racing. "What for?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Robert answered, his voice rising again. "That bitch kept asking me about old shit."

"Look, Robert, I don't know why you were brought in so please just leave."

"No. Not until I get some answers," Robert said, pushing past her into the house. Seeing someone sitting on the couch he asked, "Who's this fuckhead?"

Tommy stood up and walked over to Robert. "I believe she asked you to leave."

"Yeah?" Robert said, getting right in Tommy's face. "What are you going to do about it?" Without even giving the younger boy a chance to reply, Robert sucker punched him in the gut.

Before Lacey knew what was happening, the two boys were in the middle of a full-fledged fistfight. She tried to get them to stop, but was wary of getting too close for fear of getting hit.

Grissom was stunned to walk into his living room and find two boys beating each other up. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded.

At the sound of his voice, the boys pulled away from each, both breathing hard and shooting glares at the other. "I'm so sorry, Uncle Gil," Lacey said. "I was trying to get Robert to leave and…"

As soon as Lacey said the name Robert, Grissom whipped his head around to look at the two boys who had been fighting. He took a menacing step towards Robert and practically growled, "Get the hell out of my house!"

Robert took a quick step back. "Whatever. I'll talk to you later, Lacey," he said and hotfooted it out of the house.

Grissom turned to the other boy still in his living room. "Who are you?"

Lacey put her hand on her uncle's arm. "Uncle Gil, this is Tommy. I tutor him in science. He was just trying to help me get Robert to leave when Robert punched him."

Grissom gave the boy another look over and sighed. "Tommy, maybe it would be better if you just left for today."

The boy nodded vigorously. "Sure, that's fine. I'll see you at school Lacey." He gathered his things and left.

Lacey turned to her uncle. "I'm sorry. I tried to keep them quiet so they wouldn't disturb you."

"It's not your fault. Why don't you get dinner started while I take a shower?" Lacey nodded and headed into the kitchen.

**************

Over dinner, Lacey asked, "How come Robert was brought in for questioning?"

Grissom looked up. "He told you that?"

Lacey gave her uncle a shrewd look. "You think he had something to do with their deaths, don't you?"

Grissom sighed. "I can't talk about it."

"You said you'd keep me informed," she said angrily.

"To a certain extent," he snapped, his patience already thin from his interrupted sleep.

"Which means, if and when you solve the case, you'll give me the same details that are in the paper. I'm not hungry anymore." Lacey put her dishes in the sink and stormed into the living room. She gave a frustrated half-scream and yelled, "I don't even have a room to go to. I'm going for a walk."

Grissom heard the door slam and sighed.

*****************

Grissom looked at his watch again and debated calling Brass. Lacey had been gone for almost two hours. He jumped when the phone rang. "Lacey?" he asked breathlessly.

"Gil? It's Catherine," his best friend's voice came over the line.

"Catherine, I'm so glad you called. Lacey walked out almost two hours ago and I don't know what to do. Should I call Jim and report her missing?" he said hurriedly.

"Grissom, calm down. Lacey is at my house."

"She walked all the way to your house?" he said in surprise.

"She said she had a lot of anger to walk off."

Grissom sighed. "Is she still mad at me?"

Catherine glanced over to where Lacey was helping Lindsey with her homework. "I don't think she's so much mad at you as she is at the situation. Remember how Lindsey got in to fights at school after Eddie's death? It's the same thing. She's just frustrated is all."

"I just wish I knew what to do," Grissom said.

"You're doing fine, Gil. She's a good kid and she'll get through this, just like Lindsey did. Listen, I have to drop Lindsey off at my sister's. I'll swing by after and drop Lacey off at your place."

"Thanks," Grissom replied. "You're the best."

"And don't you forget it," Catherine replied, before hanging up.


	12. Working Things Out

AN: Long time no see! After many years, I have finally gotten a new chapter written. And *crosses fingers* I think I will have the story done by the end of the year. I have a fairly good idea of what the rest of the story looks like and I'm guessing there's probably around 5 chapters left.

In other news, I did go through & edit the first 11 chapters before posting this. Mostly just some grammar errors & typos, but I did change a couple things here & there, that I thought sounded better/made more sense.

I know nothing much really happens in this chapter, but it was kind of a necessary filler to get to the next part, so I hope you like it.

***************

Grissom sighed in relief when Catherine's car finally pulled up almost an hour later. He had been debating with himself since Catherine's phone call what he was going to say to Lacey and he still had no idea. She had had him worried sick when he had no idea where she was, though he was fairly certain she hadn't done it intentionally. Both of them had been under a lot of stress and it was bound to erupt sooner or later.

He watched Lacey climb out of the car and say something briefly to Catherine before shutting the door and watching her drive off. 'I guess she thought we should work this out ourselves,' he thought. Meeting Lacey at the door, he gestured her in. She walked in and made her way to the couch, slumping down on it, looking utterly defeated. "Lacey…" he started, but was interrupted.

Lacey's head shot up when she heard her name and he could see the tears swimming in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Uncle Gil. I know it was really stupid of me to just leave like that."

"Yes, it was. I had no idea where you had gone or when you would back. I was worried sick! I know you were upset, but you can't just take off like that," Grissom said sternly. He wasn't going to punish her for this, but he wanted to make sure that she understood that it wasn't okay.

Lacey nodded. "I know and I promise, I'll never do it again. I just, I needed to think and be by myself for a little while, but I should have just stayed in the neighborhood and kept better track of the time."

"Yes, you should have. Working at the crime lab, I see what can happen to someone in Vegas, and I don't think I could bear it if anything happened to you."

Lacey nodded again, choking out, "I really am sorry, Uncle Gil."

"I know you are," he replied. "And I know you didn't do it on purpose, but you need to think things through before you do them." Once Lacey had nodded yet again, he continued, "I was thinking, though, that it would probably be a good idea to go look at some new places this weekend. You can't sleep on the couch forever."

Lacey smiled weakly. "Thanks, Uncle Gil. That sounds like a good idea."

Grissom returned her smile. "Well, I've got to get to work. You'll be okay here by yourself?"

"Yeah, Uncle Gil. I'll be fine," Lacey replied. "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll just go to bed early."

Grissom gave her a quick kiss on the top of the head. "Have a good night."

***************

Catherine was waiting for Grissom in her office, just like he knew she would be. "Everything all right?" she asked.

"I think so. We talked about it and she knows what she did was stupid. I know she didn't do it intentionally. Part of the problem is she doesn't have her own space at my place, which is why we're going to look for a new one this weekend."

"That sounds like a good idea," she replied. Noticing his slightly hangdog expression, she patted the space on the couch next to her. Once he was settled, she turned to face him. "Gil, you're doing fine. It's going to take a while for you two to adjust. And there's always going to be moments like this. Two people that live together cannot get along all of the time. It happens. But as long as you both keep trying, it'll be fine."

"Thanks, Cath," Grissom replied, smiling slightly. His smile disappeared just as quickly though before he asked, "Did Lacey tell you this all started because Robert showed up at my place and told her he'd been brought in for questioning?"

"What?" Catherine asked in surprise. "No, she just said that you two had had an argument. I can't believe that little shit actually showed up at your place."

"I know," Grissom growled. "Started a fight in my living room with some boy that Lacey was tutoring."

Catherine raised her eyebrows. This kid certainly wasn't the brightest bulb. "Well, I'm going to have another talk with Robert's father. See if I can get him to convince Robert to give up his fingerprints voluntarily. Otherwise we really don't have much to go on."

Grissom sighed, leaning his head back against the couch. The only evidence they had to go on was the bloody handprint on the back door. That was it. No murder weapon. No witnesses. Nothing but a handprint. Grissom didn't know what he would do if they didn't find the killer. He knew it happened. They couldn't solve every case. But this wasn't just any case. This was his sister. He couldn't stand knowing that whoever killed her might get away with it.

"Gil?" Catherine questioned, a little worried for her friend. Most of the time, he seemed to be dealing with everything all right, but she knew he must be holding a lot inside. He always did. 'Well,' she resolved to herself. 'This time I'm not going to let him.'

Grissom managed a small quirk of his lips. "Let's get to work," he said, standing.

"Okay," she replied, holding her hand out for him to pull her up. Now wasn't the time, but later… 'Later, I'll make sure he talks.'


	13. Back to Nowhere

Brass looked up as Catherine entered his office. "What's up?

"I thought it might be worth while to have another chat with Robert Austin's father. See what else we can get him to compel his son to do."

"Sounds like a good time to me," Brass replied with a smirk.

**************

Catherine waited somewhat impatiently after Brass rang the Austin's doorbell. She really wanted to solve this case, so Grissom could have a little peace of mind. The man that opened the door looked at her & Brass with a rather resigned look on his face. "Have you come to arrest him?" he asked.

"Not at the moment Mr. Austin. This is Catherine Willows with the crime lab. Could we have a word with you?"

"Of course," the man replied, holding the door open for them. "Come on in. And please, call me David."

"David," Catherine began after they had all settled into the living room. "We were wondering if you could convince your son to let us take his fingerprints."

David stared at her for a moment. "You really think he killed them, don't you? I'll admit that my son can be a Grade A prick, no matter how much I've tried to get him to shape up. But I know my son, and he is not a killer."

Catherine took a moment to frame her reply. "If you're sure he didn't have anything to do with their deaths, then giving us his prints can help clear his name." She practically wanted to cross her fingers for luck as she watched David internally debating what he should do. She practically sighed in relief when he stood up and called for his son.

"What?" Robert asked sullenly, sauntering into the room. When he caught sight of Catherine and Brass, his expression turned even more sour. "Fuck no."

"Watch your mouth young man!" his father said sharply.

"What are you going to make me do now?" Robert groused.

"This woman is going to take your fingerprints."

Robert looked as his father in astonishment. "You've got to be fucking kidding me?!"

"Mouth!" David almost shouted. "And you know what you're options are Robert."

Robert grumbled something under his breath before turning to Catherine. Catherine stood and brought him over to the table where she could lay out her kit and carefully took his prints while he stood there glaring at his father.

"Thank you for your help, David" Catherine said as she put everything back into her kit.

"Yeah, thanks, dad," Robert said sarcastically before storming out of the room.

"I don't know what to do with him," his father sighed. "Please let me know what you find out."

"We'll be in touch," Brass replied before ushering Catherine out of the house.

****************

"Catherine!" Greg greeted the CSI as she walked into his lab. "What can I do for you this lovely evening?"

She handed him the fingerprint card. "I need you to run these against the prints taken from the MacDonald crime scene." She'd barely gotten the sentence out of her mouth before Greg had grabbed the card and started working his magic. "What's the verdict?" she asked when she heard the tell tale beeping of the computer.

Greg shook his head. "It's not a match."

Catherine sighed. "Damn it. Now we're back to where we were before, which is nowhere. I better go tell Grissom."

*************

Before she went looking for Grissom, she headed to the break room in search of Nick and Sara. "Hey guys, we're back to square one with the MacDonald case."

"It wasn't the neighbor kid?" Sara asked.

"Nope. His prints didn't match the ones you found. So I need you two to go back and re-canvas the neighborhood. See if you can find anybody who can remember anything strange or out of place they might have seen. Anything at all, because otherwise we've got nothing else to go on."

"We'll get right on it, Cath," Nick replied.

"Thanks guys. I've got to go talk to the bossman."

"Good luck," Nick said as he and Sara headed out.

"I'm certainly going to need it," Catherine mumbled to herself as she headed towards Grissom's office.

***********

"I brought coffee," she announced as she entered his office.

"Well that never bodes well," he replied, looking up from his paperwork.

She sighed. "I've become predictable."

"Predictable is the last word I would use to describe you," he said with a smirk.

She smiled briefly before turning serious. Deciding bluntness was the best choice she stated, "It wasn't Robert."

"Damn it!" Grissom cursed, pounding his fist on the desk. "You're sure?"

Catherine nodded. "Got his prints and they didn't match."

He couldn't believe. He had been so sure that little punk had done it. But the evidence doesn't like. "Now what?" he asked.

She hated the almost despair in his voice. She would give anything to be able to make it go away. "I have Nick and Sara re-canvasing the neighborhood. Maybe someone will think of something that they didn't before."

Grissom sighed and rubbed his temples. He could already feel the migraine coming on. They were nowhere. All they had left to work with was luck and Grissom didn't trust luck.

Catherine watched him and wished there was something more she could do. "Look, why don't you go home and catch up on some sleep. Jim and I can take care of things here and I know you have more personal time saved up then you know what to do with."

It was a sign of just how tired he was that he didn't even bother trying to argue with her. Not that he would have won anyway, but he did usually like to pretend that he wasn't completely incapable of winning an argument with her. Sighing he replied, "Sleep does sound pretty good right about now."

As he stood up and got ready to leave she walked over to him and took his face in her hands. "Gil, we will find who did this. I really believe that we will." She then wrapped her arms around him and was happy to feel him do the same.

"Thanks, Cath," he whispered in her ear. As he pulled back, he smiled slightly and said, "What would I do without you?"

She returned the smile and replied, "I have no idea. The thought is just too scary to imagine."


End file.
